Many motor vehicles are equipped with a windshield that provides protection from wind and debris to which an operator is typically exposed when the vehicle is in motion. Such windshields are generally clear or transparent structures mounted on the upper and rearward section of a hood, fairing, or other forward portion of the vehicle. For larger, multi-passenger vehicles such as automobiles, the windshield is an integral part of a cabin that surrounds the passengers and is, accordingly, mounted into a supporting frame that positions and retains the windshield on all sides. For smaller vehicles, the windshield may be mounted and retained along less than the entire perimeter of the windshield and may extend only partially in front of the operator. Examples of vehicles with such windshields include motorcycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, power boats, golf carts, and similar vehicles.
Conventionally, certain motor vehicles retain the windshield by positioning it between two surfaces of the hood or fairing and securing it in place with a variety of different fasteners that are inserted through the windshield and hood or fairing. In many cases, this conventional retention scheme results in an arrangement where the fasteners are visible and prominent from the front of the vehicle after the windshield is installed, creating an exterior appearance that some viewers find unsightly, unappealing, and undesirable. For example, shown in FIG. 8 is a windshield for a motor vehicle using a conventional retention scheme that exists in the prior art. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 8, the windshield 90 is mounted to fairing 95 of vehicle 2. Windshield 90 is retained between front and rear portions of fairing 95 by a set of fasteners 91 that are clearly visible from the front of the vehicle 2.
Attempts to lessen the visual impact of conventional retention schemes have generally been limited to installing trim pieces or molding strips along the windshield's mounting points. Many of these trim pieces, however, did not conceal the fasteners and, in some cases, made their presence even more pronounced.
Accordingly, there is a need for a windshield assembly for motor vehicles that can be securely retained to a hood or fairing without the negative appearance of fasteners that are exposed and visible from the front of the vehicle.